Meet the Team: Jane McNally, CEO

True leadership is the ability to listen, love and learn, and CAMILLA’s CEO, Jane McNally, has all of these attributes in spades. Working side-by-side with Camilla and the executive team, Jane’s day-to-day job is to create an effective space for the CAMILLA Tribe to work, create, dream and play as well as drive the big business vision “to colour the world”. Here she shares some of her working wisdom and life advice.

TO LEAD IS TO LISTEN: “Being a good leader is multi-faceted. It’s having a very clear sense of vision and focus that you can communicate to your team. Beyond that, it’s also having a sense of EQ and empathy. To be able to bring people with you and make them part of the plan is essential - and you can only really do that by listening and collaborating. It’s very important that you’re open with people and are not afraid to let them know when you need their help. It’s a constant balance of showing vulnerability but, at the same time, being confident that you know what you’re doing and where you’re going.”

YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FUN: “Too many people take themselves and their work far too seriously. That can lead to fearful thinking and unnecessary stress. I like to remind the team that we’re not saving lives, we’re making frocks and, whilst great fashion certainly makes people’s lives happier and more colourful, no one’s life is on the line. It’s okay to make the odd mistake and learn from it. I love what I do and I want to create an environment where people feel natural, friendly and easy with one another. It’s so important to have fun at work; most people would say there’s a lot of laughter around the CAMILLA office.”?

CREATE A SACRED SPACE TO CREATE: “We have the most incredible design team at CAMILLA with probably the strongest graphic artists in Australia. I see my job as protecting them from the day-to-day – and offering up lots of light and space and break-out areas. But mostly, it’s important to appreciate what’s been created. Everyone likes to see their hard work acknowledged, but especially creatives who put their whole heart and soul on the line and put their work out there for public critique. It’s the job of the executive team and myself to honour and respect that fact. Our team does need creativity in spades… We don’t repeat anything, which means that our graphics team must develop at least 35 new, original prints every quarter! The limited-edition nature of our products then makes them highly collectible. For those textile designers to continually harvest so much newness is truly awe-inspiring.”

BE A DISRUPTOR: “Social media has certainly changed the fashion industry, particularly for mass retailers and labels as they’re continually evolving their brands with their customer. At CAMILLA we are, to an extent, doing that, but I think a lot of what Camilla Franks brings to life comes from what she would wear and she would do. So, it’s actually driven by a purpose and a vision of something that’s quite disruptive from the average fashion play. You’ve got someone who has a vision of what women are going to want to wear and then women discover that they do love wearing – it’s its own momentum. It’s because of this that CAMILLA the brand is less trends-led and more designer-led. At CAMILLA we have always embraced inclusivity – which included extended sizes from the outset –?and we design from travel imaginings which brings a glorious sense of colour and escapism.”

KNOW YOUR PURPOSE & VISION: “When I was originally interviewed for the role of CEO by Camilla Franks, she didn’t talk about her brand or the clothes, she talked about what she wanted to do to help others. That resonated very strongly with me, and I know it resonates strongly with our customers. There’s a real theme running through all our philanthropy which is around empowering women and helping them to help themselves. For the last few years, we’ve been working with the Hunger Project in India. We’ve been assisting in the schools to keep girls in education longer and, to date, we’re told we’ve prevented at least 570 child marriages. This is a result of helping young women develop their own careers and pursue a way of life that they’re choosing, rather than a life they’re forced into.”?

TREAD LIGHTLY ON OUR PLANET:?“At CAMILLA, we’re very fortunate that we’ve worked with the same main manufacturer since the inception of the brand. Together, we have been developing the most environmentally friendly ways of working. For example,?our factory is using solar power, and?the print facility?have a ground water harvesting system to ensure the water is recycled. It was designed, in part, with help from the owner’s son who studied?Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. We also have a high code of standards against modern slavery, and are supportive of animal rights in the way that all our garments are produced. For example, we?choose non-mulesed merino wool and continue to research sustainable alternatives in our material choices. More recently, we’ve been working on a packaging suite that will be 100% recyclable and will launch fully by October. We want to ensure that when our customers are buying from us, they know that they are not harming the planet. Our garments are designed to be treasured through the generations. We don’t make ‘disposable’ trend-led fashion.”?

WHY DIVERSITY RULES: “In business today, diversity in the workplace is absolutely crucial. We definitely acknowledge the natural traits and strengths that women bring to the workplace alongside men. When you achieve a balance between the two, it creates magic.”

BE TRUE TO YOU: “I’m very fortunate that my first leadership role came at the age of 22. After completing a post-graduate management course, I lead a team of 12 regional managers (plus a secretary!), and was dealing with quite a wide buying business unit. That first experience taught me an enormous amount about leadership. I came out of college thinking that you need to lead a particular way but learnt very quickly to throw away the management book. Instead, I discovered that when you believe in your people, it is far more likely that they will believe in you. And that it’s actually impossible for anyone to maintain an impenetrable fa?ade for any length of time without damaging their psychological health. It’s better to be yourself from the start, people respect that.”

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Take Five

What's one thing about you that would surprise people?

“I’m a little bit of an addict when it comes to fantasy fiction. If it involves witches, warlocks, vampires, or magic – I love it all. Anything from The Hobbit to Game of Thrones! I’m quite a voracious reader as well – I might easily read two or three books in a weekend. It’s my ‘switch off’ – it enables me to escape into another world and see how characters in those books find their solutions and work through their problems. A large dose of magic would have proved very handy through this COVID crisis!”

What do you consider to be your secret weapon at work?

“Not-so-secret perhaps, but it’s definitely my sense of British humour. Especially as we go through COVID and the mental challenges of people being stuck at home and worrying. It’s just disarming people with that and hopefully making them feel a little bit more relaxed.”????????????

What virtues do you admire most in people?

“Probably those people who are prepared to make an effort and who don’t take themselves too seriously. Always combined with empathy and honesty.”

Describe?yourself in three words?

“Curious, loving and maybe competitive … although not in a ruthless way. It’s just that desire to get the most from life and to be your very best.”

What’s your favourite CAMILLA piece?

“The hooded maxi cape. I love the way that it flows behind when you walk and can be dressed up or down – I always feel like royalty wearing it!”